By The Moscow Times | Created at 2024-11-19 11:15:22 | Updated at 2024-11-19 13:33:12
2 hours ago
Russian law enforcement authorities in annexed Crimea arrested a man and a woman suspected of killing a senior Russian naval officer in a car bombing last week, investigators said Tuesday.
Ukraine’s security service (SBU) claimed responsibility for the attack in Sevastopol, which killed Captain First Rank Valery Trankovsky, chief of staff of Russia’s 41st missile ship brigade in the Black Sea.
Russia’s Investigative Committee identified the suspected bombers as a 38-year-old woman who monitored Trankovsky’s movements and a 47-year-old man who constructed and planted an explosive device under his car.
Investigators said both the man and the woman, who were charged with terrorism and arms trafficking, are cooperating with law enforcement and provided confessions.
Footage released by Russian state media showed the pair, with blurred faces, giving statements about being recruited by Ukrainian agents.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), which made the arrests, alleged that the attack was ordered by SBU counterintelligence head Yuri Murilev under the guidance of SBU deputy head Oleksandr Poklad.
A Crimean court placed the 47-year-old man in pretrial detention for two months, while the woman is expected to be placed in detention soon.
Independent news outlet Agentstvo reported that documents shown in the FSB video identify the man as Vitaly Kulchitsky, born in Ukraine’s Lviv region and a resident of Crimea since before its annexation by Russia in 2014.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Continue
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
